Cigarette package or the like with opening means



Oct. 23, 1956 M. BOUTELOUP CIGARETTE PACKAGE OR THE LIKE WITH OPENING MEANS Filed July 28, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 z z I I .Zza 0 6127601 Hl30uie Z0 0 Q Oct. 23, 1956 M. BOUTELOUP CIGARETTE PACKAGE OR THE LIKE WITH OPENING MEANS Filed July 28, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zlz2/U Ezra-2:0

Oct. 23, 1956 M. BOUTELOUP 2,767,900

CIGARETTE PACKAGE OR THE LIKE WITH OPENING MEANS Filed July 28, 1953 s Sheets-Sheet 3- lzav' 6212:2501 M .50 Lobe 10 14 20 United States Patent fiice CIGARETTE PACKAGE OR THE LIKE WITH DPENING MEANS Michel Bouteloup, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Application July 28, 1953, Serial No. 370,799

Claims priority, application France June 22, 1953 1 (Zlaim. (Cl. 22951) My invention relates to sealed containers or packages of the multiple wrapper type provided with an opening device, =and, more particularly, to a container of this type as applied to cigarette packages or the like.

It is common practice to provide packages of this kind constituted for instance by an inner wrapper of tin-foil, covered with a common paper wrapper having printed or otherwise applied thereon an ornamental label, trademark, or other data to designate the brand of cigarettes, the manufacturers name, etc., the whole being covered all over and sealed by a wrapper of cellophane glued or otherwise bonded while the package may be opened by means of a cord or strip arranged along a tearing line of the package and which is pulled to tear the package open.

Such containers, however, have a number of drawbacks and namely, in the case of a stitched ripping cord, the package is perforated. It is therefore not entirely sealed, and liable to impair the flavour of the contents wrapped within the package: cigarettes, coffee, spices, etc. Moreover, the manufacture of these packages being carried out in machinery generally fed with a continuous strip of paper, the stitching operation proves to be time wasting and necessitates intricate apparatus.

A primary object of my invention is to provide an improved package which is perfectly sealed to retain the flavour of the contents of said package, while preventing moisture from entering thereinto.

Another object of my invention is to provide a package, of the kind referred to, which may be readily obtained in common machinery used in the art. I

A further object of my invention is to provide a package which may be readily opened along a regular and clean cut contour in a single ripping movement regardless of the number of sheets or foils the package is made of.

According to my invention, the package, which is formed into the usual flat parallelepipedic shape, is characterized in that it comprises an inner wrapper having a notch or a slit in the zone of one of the butt-end corners of the package, an additional element partially glued or otherwise bonded to said inner wrapper, along the contour of said notch or slit to close the latter and extending into an opening strip, and a sealed outer wrapper of cellophane or the like, the outer end of said opening strip protruding out of said outer wrapper.

According to a preferred embodiment, the additional attached element is made of thermo-bonding cellophane and is adhesively secured to the outer wrapper all over its outer area which is in contact with said outer wrapper.

According to a first typical embodiment of my invention, the cut-out portion of said inner wrapper consists in a portion entirely cut-oil and having one edge located on a small lateral face of the package and extending in a direction transverse to the direction of the long edges of the package, and two edges located on the large lateral faces of the package and extending in a slanting direction to meet the adjacent butt-end of the package, whereby the whole corner of the package is torn cit by pulling the Patented Oct. 23, 1956 ripping strip whereby exposing the content of the package and making it easily available.

According to a second typical embodiment of my invention, the slit of the inner wrapper comprises, on a small side face of the package, a central portion which is parallel to the short'adjacent edge and which extends in a slanting direction on each side on two large side faces of the package adjacent to the same edge, so as to form, when the package is opened, a hinged corner of the inner wrapper.

According to another feature of my invention, it is particularly recommended to provide between the notched or slitted inner wrapper and the cellophane outer Wrapper, an intermediate wrapper adapted to reinforce the package and having printed thereon a trademark or other advertising data, while said intermediate wrapper has a cutout portion adapted to be superposed upon the cut-out portion of the inner wrapper, and the edge of which after the attached portion has been torn off covers the cut-out edge of the inner wrapper which is imp-aired by the tearing operation, thus simulating a smooth clean cut opening.

This arrangement makes it possible to use packages according to my invention for superseding the American cigarette packages of the present day which, as a matter of fact, include a so-called label intermediate wrapper.

Various other objects, advantages and features of my invention will appear from the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and wherein, for the purpose of illustration, I have shown several preferred embodiments of my invention as applied to cigarette packages or the like.

i In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows one embodiment of a tin-foil inner wrapper blank for a cigarette package, with a cut-out portion according to my invention,

Fig. 2 shows a modification of the cut out portion,

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein a slit is substituted for the cut-out portion,

Figs. 4 and 5 show an auxiliary element adapted to be used in connection with the cut-out wrapper illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively,

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate the auxiliary elements of Figs. 4 land 5 as bonded upon the inside wrapper of Figs. 2 and 3, respectively,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the wrapper shown in Fig. 6 while being folded,

Fig. 9 shows the wrapper of Fig. 8 after the label has been put into place, the cigarettes slipped into the package and the latter sealed,

Fig. 10 shows the whole assembly covered with the cellop'hane outer wrapper,

Fig. 11 shows the package after completion,

Fig. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a three wrapper type package once opened,

Fig. 13 shows the wrapper of Fig. 7 once folded, fitted with the label, filled with the contents, and sealed,

Fig. 14 is a perspective View of the package shown in Fig. 13 with the addition of the cellophane router wrapper and,

Fig. 15 shows the package of Figs. 13 and 14 in opened condition.

The invention will be described in connection with two embodiments of a package of the multiple wrapper type provided with an opening device applicable more particularly to cigarette packages of the fiat parallelipedic standard shape. In the first of these two embodiments a corner of the package is completely ripped off by the opening device, whereas in the second embodiment, the corner is not completely detached and constitutes a hinged cover adapted to be turned up to allow grasping the cigarettes.

First embodiment: use is made of an inside wrapper made of a tin-, aluminum-foil or the like, the blank of which is cut out in a special manner as illustrated in Fig. 1, on which is shown a notch 2 cut out in the tin-foil 1 in the region of the chain-dotted line 3 which represents one among the short edges that will be formed at the moment the package is folded and which corresponds to the corner of the package which will be opened later to allow grasping the cigarettes. In this figure, the location of the folds to be formed may be seen as indicated by the dotted line 4 and it may be understood that the notch 2 will let free a small portion of the four adjacent faces of the package. It is through this opening that the cigarettes will be taken off as they are needed. This first tin foil may be lined as it is usual with a common white or transparent paper.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification of the shape of the cut-out portion shown in Fig. 1. In this Fig. 2, the edges of the cut-out portion are rectilinear instead of being formed with two rounded portions in Fig. l, but the basic principle remains the same.

On the other hand, an auxiliary element 6 of a special shape (Fig. 4) made of thermo-bonding cellophane is provided with a pulling or ripping strip 7 which will be used later on for opening the package. This element is coated with gum on one face thereof along one portion of its contour, as represented by the gray portion 8. It will be noticed that the pullin strip 7 is not coated with gum. in the course of the package manufacturing, one step consists in bonding this cellophane element 6 with the tin-foil 1 as shown in Fig. 6 by applying the gummed marginal portion 8 against the wrapper 1 about the cut-out portion 2a.

The next step in the manufacturing of the package consists in folding the tin foil fitted with the opening strip, as may be seen in Fig. 8. A paper (so-called label) wrapper is then placed around the package as shown in Fig. 12. This wrapper is made of a strip the width of which is substantially equal to the height of the package and which is rolled about the lateral faces of the packages. It also comprises a cut-out portion adapted to register with the notch 2a of the tin-foil inner wrapper. It reinforces the rigidity of the package and has printed on it a trade-mark or any other advertising data for instance. The package is then filled up by means of a pusher rod in a known manner, and the opening is then closed by a folding operation, as shown in Fig. 9.

The whole assembly is then covered with a transparent cellophane wrapper 1 (Fig. 10) of the thermo-bonding type, taking care that the cellophane is folded down first on the side opposite the ripping strip before folding down the ripping strip and the cellophane which covers it, in order that the ripping strip be not entrapped within the cellophane wrapper. Not only the end portions of the cellophane outer wrapper are bonded upon this wrapper after the latter has been folded down, but this wrapper is also bonded to the auxiliary element 6 which carries the opening strip 7 and which is also made of thermobonding cellophane. The end portion of the pulling strip, of course, should not be bonded to allow it to be seized, when need be. Two slits 12 may be seen in the cellophane outer wrapper on both sides of the ripping strip and closely adjacent the side margins of said strip to facilitate the initial tearing of the wrapper at the time of opening the package. The package when completed appears in Fig. 11 and the outer end of the ripping strip 7 is seen protruding out of the cellophane outer wrapper.

Preferably, the cellophane auxiliary element 6, or at least the opening strip 7, is of a coloured shade, to draw the users attention and ease the opening process. Fig. 12 shows the aspect of the package once opened after removal of the opening strip 7 together with the whole corner of the cellophane outer wrapper to which it was firmly united, so as to wide open the notches 2a prepared beforehand in the tin foil and in the label or paper wrapper. It is readily appreciated that, since the edge out out in advance in the paper wrapper superposed upon the edge of the tin foil covers the marring caused by the tearing of the auxiliary element, this arrangement provides for a smooth clean cut opening. The shape of this opening is suitable for grasping the cigarettes, and, prior to the opening, the package was absolutely air-tight owing to the presence of the cellophane outer wrapper which is completely sealed. It will be also noticed that the notch in the tin foil and in the paper wrapper may be cut out in advance and that it is likewise possible to have the cellophane auxiliary elements glued upon the tin foil also in advance so that all the manufacturing operations for such a package may be carried out in a machine from paper and cellophane in rolls or strips with the addition of a simple device for distributing, gumming, and fixing the opening strips.

The second typical embodiment of a packgae according to my invention, which has been referred to at the beginning of this description, makes it possible when the package is opened to clear a corner thereof under similar conditions preserving however this corner in the shape of a hinged corner formed by a portion of the tin foil.

To this aim, a slit 16 (Fig. 3) has been cut in the tin foil blank 15 in the manner illustrated in the drawing, so as to provide for the hinged cover as above stated.

The folds of this tin foil are again represented by the dotted lines 4. This slit is designed so as to extend on the package once completed both horizontally on the small side face of the package and in a slanting direction on the two large lateral faces as readily visible in Fig. 15 where the package is represented ajar.

There is also provided an auxiliary element 17 which is made of thermo-bonding cellophane, fitted with the same ripping strip 7 and which is either in the shape of a narrow strip one face of which is gummed and adapted to be glued upon the tin foil slit 16, or in the shape of the above stated ripping strip with a parcel gluing on both edges of the slit as it may be seen in Fig. 7. The manufacturing of the package is then carried on in the same manner as for the preceding embodiment that is to say a partial folding is first effected and the label or paper wrapper put into place. The cigarettes are then introduced into the Wrappers by means of a pusher rod and the inner wrapper is closed while letting the ripping strip well cleared (Fig. 13). In this second embodiment, use is made of a label wrapper which is prepared in the same manner as for the first embodiment described hereinabove. The whole assembly is then covered with a transparent thermobonding cellophane wrapper (Fig. 14) the end portions of which will be bonded together, while the cellophane auxiliary element 17 is entrapped therebetween as in the embodiment above described.

The ripping strip 7 protrudes out of the cellophane outer wrapper and in order to open the package it is sulficient, as in the embodiment above described to pull this ripping strip round the corner of the package to free the hinged corner 18 formed out of the tin foil, as it may be readily seen in Fig. 15.

The package according to this second embodiment has the same advantages as that of the first embodiment.

The invention, of course, is not limited to the examples described and shown and it may be subject to many modifications by those skilled in the art, according to the applications contemplated without the scope of the invention being departed from.

Thus, it was assumed that the auxiliary elements 6 or 17 were coated with gum to be glued upon the tin foil 1, but the gum coating could be deposited on the tin foil. Furthermore, this invention has been described in connection with cigarette packages, but the gist of the invention would not be departed from if applied to other kinds of 5 packages or containers, one corner of which would be desirably opened to make available their contents, viz. coffee, spices, etc. i

What is claimed is:

A package comprising inner and outer folded wrappers, the inner wrapper having an area cut away at one margin prior to folding thereof so as to form a dispensing opening when said inner wrapper is in folded position, a flexible fiat element of substantially the same contour as said cut away area and having a marginal portion bonded to the outer face of said inner wrapper along the edge thereof defining said opening to constitute a detachable cover therefor, and a pull tab forming a part of said 6 flexible element and extending through the outer wrapper whereby when said tab is pulled the outer wrapper will be torn by the tab and the said cover detached from the inner wrapper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,096,910 Harvey May 19, 1914 2,121,443 Olsson June 21, 1938 2,268,926 Cornock Jan. 6, 1942 2,383,728 Little Aug. 28, 1945 2,533,255 Will Dec. 12, 1950 

